Review: LEGO Builder’s Journey

destructoid.com:

I can see why LEGO is a toy that has easily crossed generations. Sure, you can still get an Etch-a-Sketch or Potato Head, but I don’t think those are as easy to connect with these days. However, I played with Lego, and now my nephews do.

LEGO Builder’s Journey wants to remind you of that. Also, it wants you to remember how much you love LEGO. Also, maybe think about your upbringing. What I’m saying is it’s a game focused on delivering nostalgia, and I’m almost insulted by how blatant it is.

LEGO Builder’s Journey (Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 [Reviewed])Developer: Light Brick StudioPublisher: LEGO GamesReleased: April 19, 2022 (PS4/PS5) MSRP: $19.99

The gist of LEGO Builder’s Journey is that you’re presented with an ongoing series of LEGO dioramas. Each one is a small puzzle, and it’s up to you to figure out what it wants from you, because it’s hardly consistent. Most of the time, you simply need to build a way from point A to point B. On other occasions it wants you to build something specific. The goals are frequently intuitive, but sometimes not. Later levels, for example, want you to traverse them, but it doesn’t necessarily give you the best indication of where the finish line is.

Sometimes, the game holds your hand and wants you to complete the diorama in a very specific way. Other times, you’re given some freedom to just plop bricks down wherever. Sometimes it’s kind of clever. While other times you just pile down bricks until it high-fives you. Consistency is not what LEGO Builder’s Journey does well.

If you asked me what it does do well, I’d probably say, “Pretty, isn’t it?” For a game that was originally released on iOS, LEGO Builder’s Journey is certainly a looker on PS5.